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Open Game Thread - Game 37 (cont.)

The A's and Rangers continue to battle it out.  Players are running and throwing and hitting the ball. 

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Comments

frist
what are you, a politician?
call me bill

and him gerg.

Mojo threads work better when you know about them.
and though its a Mojo thread

Oklahoma just scored

THank God for a new thread.

My comp is too slow for the long ones.

Just checking in while working and Feldman has a 2 hitter going???

What is it about this guy?

I want Josh Hamilton.

For the A’s I mean.

Frozen pizza is not bad

Our offense still sux, though, dern. Leadoff double, too.

Art Howe is the bench coach

Get over it!

Double for Ham

So thus far, with the Mojo thread, the Rangers have hit a double, A’s hit a GIDP, and the Rangers AAA affiliate has tied the game in Sac and has the bases loaded with 2 outs.

It's definately an error on Brown. Well if the scorer was doing his job properly that is.

I agree though the new thread sucks. Not that the old thread was doing much.

Perhaps the thread should return to AAA with "no timetable"...
Make it happen.
For those who can't watch the game

Emil did a pretty good job of getting to that ball, and then jumped unnecessarily and flat-out missed the ball.

TY for the info.

Email is no fielder.

GIDP Requested
Did you fill out the form in duplicate?
Needs to be notarized, too.
Request denied, but pop-up accepted in settlement
popups enabled in the preferences
LOL - nice
Chadan is up in the pen
Don't walk this guy
I won't
What if he really, really needs to, you know, do his business?
then he can run
I'm here!

Did you hear the A’s are first in ESPN’s power rankings?

Make a diary!
I downloaded the podcast, but then I accidentally put my iPod in the washer.
:(

I washed mine yesterday. It was under warranty so I just returned it! BOOM! No problems.

we'll see how long that lasts
I knew it was a jinx
Jennifer isn't an it.
but the power ranking is
No I didn't

What have y'all done for me lately?

We’re on anal avenue tonight.

They made us #2 last week and Texas beat us twice

ESPN thinks that by making us #1 this week that will put a jinx on us.

We need to prove them wrong

This thread sucks
that's why we were avoiding it

it was up way too soon

Let's go back to the old one!
can we go back?

or is that against the jinx rules?

Hang on - I'll check the manual
Check Manuel, too.

Manual isn’t Mexican enough.

Manuel isn't Czech enough
Bah. Smith almost got out of this with a quality start.

Oh well, clearly when he’s not on he’s very hittable.

The ump is not giving him the strike on the corner away

and he really doesn’t know what to do if he can’t get that called a strike. The ump is calling a high strike zone, but Smith doesn’t have the pitches to take advantage of that.

He should go broadcast on the sidelines

and let Aimee pitch – her high fastball is actually “sneaky-fast”.

He's missing low too often. Though I agree he doesn't have the stuff to

challenge hitters up in the strike zone often.

Oh sheesh

I am going to go put the fish sticks in the oven.

Please tell me that's not a euphemism
Lol

Dirty Boy

God damn Texas!
why is Smith still in there?
a "ringing" double

where does that phrase come from o wise athletics nation?

When there a lot of doubles,

the bullpen phone starts ringing.

When there ARE a lot of doubles.
Travis Buck!
Way to go, Bob Geren.

Why is Gaudin even warming up if he’s not going to come in for that matchup? Is he a mop-up guy now?

When was the last time Gaudin warmed up to come into a game from the bullpen? I'd be surprised if he could get loose quickly.
He's warming up because Smith is at 100 pitches,

and he’ll pitch the 7th.

That's too damn late

If Smith can come out after 6, why can’t he come out after 5 2/3 when facing an obviously unfavorable matchup? What is gained? Why does Geren have to make sure that a guy’s last inning is a rotten one?

Because it would be even stupider to take Smith

out in the 5th when he’s pitching fine. Geren doesn’t “make sure that a guy’s last inning is a rotten one” – it just seems that way because you only notice when a pitcher struggles. There have many, many times our starter pitched an uneventful inning after AN called for a pitching change. If AN ran the pitching changes, our relievers arms would fall off and the team would always enter the next game in bullpen crisis.

FROM OUR OWN ARROGANCE !!!
It was the 6th inning.

I wanted him taken out 1/3 of an inning earlier than actually happened. And 2 runs earlier. Before (obviously looming) failure, not after it. I don’t think that would cause the bullpen’s arms to fall off.

I don't think it would have been a bad move

to go to Gaudin to face Boggs. But I certainly don’t think it was a bad move to leave Smith in. I’m just grateful that in general, Geren doesn’t use the AN philosophy of pitching changes and instead tries to get 6+ innings out of his starters before looking at matchups and depriving young pitchers like Smith the chance to learn how to pitch in those situations. Especially in games the A’s aren’t in particularly great position to win.

At least arguing with you is keeping me from watching the game

I’m at least grateful for that. God I hate Texas broadcasts. Four in-the-stands interviews in the first 5 innings, and the A’s getting nothing off a staff that’s not this good.

LOL - I can't see it, yet I'm strangely not jealous
Smith's ERA up to 3
I know why.

I added him to my fantasy team. That’s always the kiss of death.

Travis Buck, 2 run HR

3-1 Sac in the 7th

For those watching at home, that Ranger ballgirl is smokin hot.
Ranger ballgirls
Skill on the field took precedence, but engaging personalities couldn’t be overlooked.

link

Wasnt Really Smiths fault. Boggs had smoked the ball 2 times before. Smith was at 97 pitches. Gaudin was ready. What is to like about Smith pitching to Boggs again?

Geren made the right move (or non-move)

Through 6 you keep your starter in as long as you can, and just because Boggs hit Smith hard a couple times tonight doesn’t mean you go to the pen after 5.2 IP. You take your starter out because his pitch count is too high or because he’s getting knocked around, not because he gives up a double in the middle innings and hasn’t been as good as usual that night.

-1

Bullshit. So you take him out after 6, exactly one-third of an inning later? You sacrifice the game because the book says your starter has to go 1/3 inning longer, matchups be damned? Ridiculous.

See my explanation above

There’s nothing magical about the 18th out – just general principle, you don’t yank guys in the 5th, 6th inning just to get a “more favorable” matchup.

You can tell when a batter is seeing

a pitcher well though. Boggs was 2 for 2 with a double and a homerun.

You still haven't explained why it was so important to get that extra 1/3 inning

Against what was clearly a poor matchup, at a crucial point in the game.

It wasn't.

It wasn’t so important to get that extra 1/3 inning. It wasn’t clearly a poor matchup. And it wasn’t a crucial point in the game.

My point is that if Geren starts making pitching changes in the 6th inning to get “slightly better matchups,” then his young starters won’t mature as quickly and the bullpen will get absurdly fatigued. Believe it or not, he actually knows what he’s doing.

But it was OK to come out after 6

Where the bullpen has to go exactly one out longer. After the horse is out of the barn.

I don’t know quite what to say if you are going to maintain that is wasn’t a bad matchup or a crucial point in the game… My point is that Smith was on the verge of coming out anyway. Same situation, third inning, of course he stays in. But when he’s just about to come out anyway, there’s a guy up who’s hit him hard twice, a righty is warm in the pen, and 2 guys are on base that can’t be allowed to score, that’s exactly when you play matchups.

I'm just saying that because a hitter

is 2 for 2 with a HR doesn’t mean it’s a terrible matchup – Gaudin coming in to relieve for the first time in two years could be considered a bad matchup too. And to me, a “crucial point” in a game is more like up 3-2 in the 8th, not down 2-0 in the 6th.

Again, going to Gaudin there would have been fine with me. But leaving Smith in wasn’t a bad move either. Big picture – Smith needs to finish the 6th in those situations in his future. And he will, successfully, more often than not.

I do see your point

I just don’t agree with the marginal value of getting through one more guy in that situation. If you needed eight or even seven innings out of your starter, that’s more of a consideration, but when you’re yanking him one out later regardless (as appeared to be the case), I don’t see much benefit to walking through one last batter. I didn’t say was a “terrible” matchup, but I think you’re underselling the contrast – Boggs was right on Smith all night, and I have trouble seeing him handle Gaudin’s slider with the same confidence. Sometimes the education of the pitcher has to take a back seat to the immediate situation.

But now I think I’ll go vent about Brown. Two DPs, and he butchered that ball in right (Korach was WAY too kind, he was there and he flat missed it), which led to all that 6th inning fun in the first place.

I'm kind of going with you here, Faust

Sometimes it’s the 4 1/3 mark, sometimes the 6 2/3rds mark, but when the ballgame can get out of hand, and you have the =best= bullpen in the AL… you go to your BP IMO. Boggs had the edge here, psychologically.

In defense of Geren, and because of Gaudin, he probably wanted Gaudin to start an inning and not be out of the stretch.

What I don't think I'm emphasizing enough

is that I think going to Gaudin there would have made sense and been fine. I just think leaving Smith in also made sense. There isn’t always a clear “right” and “wrong” move and I don’t think this was blatantly wrong. Boggs could easily have flied out, Gaudin could have started the 7th and thrown well. Geren probably did want Gaudin to start an inning and that makes sense – sensing the end of the line and yanking Smith an out earlier than anticipated would have made sense too.

Time to rally

let’s go A’s

FELDMAN IS OUT! YAY!

Lets get the rally started Crosby!

Calling Offense, come in Offense!
WoOOooOOoooOOOOoooOOOOoooOOOooo
Tornado siren?
Re-painted car?
wind blowing through my ears.
what's with the shutout?
ok time to fix this

Benoit up in the Rangers' pen
One of those guys who only throws well against us
Honest to god, shut the fuck up about this scoreless innings streak.

We get it, the Rangers historically have had a shitty pitching staff (and this lot are pretty crap too, they’re just getting lucky), there’s no need to mention it EVERY AT BAT.

Vince is a Ranger fan
Well, I guess this was a good game to not have on TV after all.
I am watching it on TV

and you are not missing anything

No doubt man

what has been the hard part to watch is the at bats. Shitty ass swings on bad pitches in hitters counts. Its like they go up there 2-0, 3-1 and just have it stuck in their mind “Im going to swing at any friggen pitch this guy throws”

Is tomorrow a night game?
Dunno, but it's on TV.
goodie goodie gumdrops
Do you not get to see?

Want me to record it?

I think it's on EI.
5.00 p.m

Same time, same place hopefully different Mindset from A’s hitters

starts 5:05 PM Pacific Time
Well in Sacramento, the next TV game looks to be the Braves,

Come on little Sweeney!

anybody notice on the mlbtv inning break

when they did that promo of the 500 home run players….did they mention Bonds?, I could have sworn they skipped him.

No mention of Bonds in either the 500 or 600 HR promos.
[shakes head]

This game is no fun.

nsj setting up an auto-post new thread is what jinxed this game.
We need at least 1 more hit to avoid going below

.250 as a team

That’s a realisitc goal for the day now

Where do the A's rank?

almost last in the MLB?

I wonder what ESPN's power rankings are.
We're #1! We're #1!
bad karma, evidently
It's the SI Cover Jinx for the electronic age.
That's sad.

I’m really glad I am not watching this…

Apparently, our hitters feel the same way
It seriously looks like they dont want to be there,

its like win or lose lets play a few games in Tex and get the hell out of here. Not that I can blame them.

That just shows how much they love Bill King.
They should be very happy with the season so far

and totally embarrassed with this performance today

Pretty hard expecting a rally when they cannot even string two baserunners in a row the last 5 or 6 innings

I'd have been happier if the camera had simply focussed on the ball girl for the last two hours.

Far more entertaining.

Well this sucks!
FWIW

Eric Aybar is going to be very lucky to avoid the DL after he tried to bunt and gtot hit on the fingers with a fastball. Bat meets fingers attached to bat for meat sandwich

Mmmmm...

Bat meat fingers…

I guess he does avoid the DL

X-rays were negative, and the Angels said Aybar is day-to-day with a bone bruise (pinky finger)

You know, they just call it that so kids will order it.

It’s not really fingers—it’s just bat meat cut into a sort of finger shape.

Oh, ffs, Chad.

Error #4?

crimony sakes

You want a fist-bump?
I punched my monitor a bit too hard

Is it over yet?

I was just thinking "I'm tired of this game, it needs to stop."
no, Boggs still has to hit his triple
Pancakes! Pancakes!
You have to click your heels 3 times together and say

“There’s no place like IHOP! There’s no place like IHOP! There’s no place like IHOP!”

And we made it almost all the way through a game without a psychic event.
LOL

My next decision is whether I should make them, or drive down the street to IHOP. If I had iHop, it would be a lot easier.

easiest pancakes?

LOL

“Batter Blaster?” That just sounds wrong.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little

use this instead

That stuff works good

but not as good as Tiger penis

It's "organic?"
Breakfast sounds tasty.

Scrambled eggs… syrup.

Bat bacon...
Turkey toast
Hand-shredded condor hash browns
Scrbatpple
Mmmm... scrbatpple slroll...
Giants vs Phillies at the phone booth on ch11

Cole Hamels pitching for the Phils

LET"S GO OAKLAND!!!
not pinch running for Cust, what?
Post Game Comments by Geren

Geren: “Feldman pitched like Cy Young, he kept us off balance, we were consistent as we made 3 outs per inning and that’s all you can ask”

Reporter: Did you know the Angels Lost?

Geren: “Why do you think we didn’t win?....... We felt sorry for the Angels being 1 hit, we did better than them though”

DON'T GIDP THOMAS!
Cust and Frank are the false hope Bash Brothers
false hope sucks; you can't fight it
PR for Thomas at least

Sweeney needs to PH for Crosby after Emil doubles

LOL great...

Rajai running behind Cust.

Holy cow do we really have runners on base?

yea and its the two slowest.......

hopefully we can get some pinch runners

It aint over till the fat lady sings......

Rally Elephants!!

well she's just about ready to give out the autographs
she just sang...BoCro K'd
<--------pulls out his rally trunk
puts it away.....RATS!
Travoice Book!

RBI single

Damnit Emil!
game over
The game was over a long time ago

Crosby just put the exclamation point on it

Crosby can’t seem to hit water if he fell in the ocean

Can't do it everytime
Will the real Emil please stand up
just K and put us out of our misery Krosby
Regression can be pretty mean sometimes.
base hit for Kevin Melillo

5-2 Rivercats

Emil= Jay Payton

Just get up there and hack at everything

It's worked pretty well so far

I myself rather see that than a K at the end like Crosby

COME ON CUST! STEAL HOME!
Alrighty.

dinnertime

Game Over, K-rosby
oh well. but I expect to win the series.
Well that was truely pathetic. Well done boys.

Well it’s finally over. And did they really just get shut out by the rangers?

RISP as a team now at .305
MLB.TV

Anyone else use MLB.TV? I have been consistently getting a blackout message that says “You are currently in a blackout zone…..please re-enter your credit card info and a 1 dollar charge will be placed”

The game is in Texas.

I live in NY.

WTF?

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